That Song
by kuppcake
Summary: After Starkiller's destruction, the Resistance sees an influx of recruits. Among them is someone who can reveal the hazy past Finn so desperately wants to know about.


Hello all! I felt like our favorite former trooper (that's a mouthful) needed some love. This more familial love though. I'm not a Star Wars expert or super fan so there's that. No copyright infringement is intended. **Heads up, there is a mention of suicide, depression, and alcoholism.**

* * *

Following the destruction of Starkiller, the Resistance found that more people were willing to align themselves with the rebels. Seeing the First Order lose a battle had given people a bit a hope, for some a bit more confidence. A great many still hid in fear of retaliation or becoming a target whenever the Order regrouped and made their next move. For those that were brave enough, joining the fight was their next move. The Resistance took in their skills and offered supplies with a bit of relief.

One of those who stood among the new recruits was Selene Wiles. Many saw her as a small thing, but never underestimated her because of the straight face she so often wore. Life had tested her and dried out her joy over the years. Even leaving her homeworld came with its own challenges. Before her journey to D'Qar, she had dealt with the hype everyone had made at home about her decision. Even with her parents no longer in her life, she had to deal with friends and neighbors weighing in on her decision. That's why she told as few people as possible. At twenty-eight, she wasn't going to let others' fears and opinions dictate her life, especially not after her parents spent her childhood and early adolescence practically smothering her until they themselves fell apart. Then she was alone and missed the warmth of their protection. They had spent so long guarding her that they hadn't taken care of themselves.

She was an average height at 5'5 but still stood near the back of the hangar as General Organa welcomed them. She could only see the woman because she was standing on a small platform that was probably used to work on ships. Many of Selene's fellow recruits shared in her awe of the royal leader.

"We'll try to get room assignments out as quickly as possible. But, keep in mind that you will be doubling up, some of you in triples. We simply don't have space for singles, so don't be divas about it. For now, introduce yourselves and get to know the people you'll be working and fighting with. You'll be called into meetings with myself and other leaders throughout the week so we can meet you one on one as well."

The woman lets a hardened gaze fall upon the crowd, looking at new faces and meeting many gazes. "Get ready to prove your worth, ladies and gentlemen. There's no place here for people who simply want to make a name for themselves," she said. Silence fell upon the hangar as everyone took in her words.

"Dismissed," General Organa called finally.

Selene could hear people release the breathes they had been holding in. "Well, that was intense," a man behind her said. She looked over her shoulder to find a man who looked to be in his early twenties. His hair was red and his skin pale. He wasn't too tall, but he was well built.

"Nothing I didn't expect," she said. He nodded in return.

"I'm Oliver. I'm a pilot," he said extending his hand. She looked between the limb and his face briefly before shaking it.

"I'm Selene. Tactical and spatial analytics, " she said.

"So, you're a brainiac," he teased with a smile.

She didn't smile as easily. "Where I'm from you were a farmer, miner, built starships or joined the military to make sure you ate and learned to hold your own. Otherwise, you depended on others to protect you while hoping for the best. I've learned it's best not to depend on others for my livelihood," she said without breaking eye contact, her brown eyes contrasting between the warmth of color and severity of her gaze. She knew she was intense, but there wasn't much she could do about it at this point. It felt to her like it was a little too late and too ingrained in her to change now.

Oliver's smile dimmed. "Right," he said rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Sorry, I guess."

She shook her head and waved him off. "No need to apologize. We're strangers. Awkward information drops are expected when you don't know people," she said.

"Right," he paused. "So, do you want to go get some food? Most of us haven't eaten since before we got here earlier."

She thought for a moment before shrugging. "Why not? I could definitely eat," she answered.

They stood there for a moment watching people walk by them.

"You know where the cantina is?" he asked.

Selene barked out a laugh. A first in a while.

"Nope."

* * *

Fifteen minutes of wandering before finally asking for directions, the pair found themselves in the base's cantina. Selene found that she liked Oliver's upbeat energy. They now sat amongst several other new recruits. They were all eager to hear each others' backstories. Selene was not as eager to share. But of course, it would be her turn eventually. She was almost done her food when, inevitably, they focused their attention on her.

"Selene, right?" a young woman to her left asked. Her name was Charlie if she remembered correctly. She nodded letting her know she was correct.

"Where are you from?"

"Talus," Selene said before taking a sip of her drink.

It was an act of trying to appear nonchalant, knowing how people would react. And react they did. She noticed a few people bristle out of the corner of her eye. They made eye contact with each other and watched her closely. Talus' allegiance walked the line of staying neutral but being influenced by the imperial forces during the war. Even now as the twin world in the Corellian system tried to remain neutral between the Resistance and the First Order, it was well known that they let the Order have their way in the form of The Gathers.

They were a group of hired guns, paid to collect children for the Order's stormtrooper program. Their neighborhood had been filled with helpless tears and cries as children were lead away and guns were aimed at anyone who tried to stop them. Every couple of years they would return to different areas of the planet to repeat their job all over again. Some had tried to rebel and hide their children. Others did everything they could to avoid having children at all, but the Order quietly fed into their economy with the threat of destroying them always hovering. They even offered jobs to those who needed them with the promise of seeing their children once they had completed their training.

"Oh," the other woman finally replied.

"Yup," Selene replied dryly. Tension is easy to ignore externally when you expect it, when it becomes a constant in your life. Internally, she was withdrawing and second-guessing her decision to socialize with others, better yet, her decision to come here.

One of the more outspoken newbies spoke next. He was tall and muscled with dark hair. "Why join the Resistance? To spite your family or to free them from the Order?" he said. His light eyes scrutinized her as did the others'.

She scoffed. "To spite my family, I would have to be in contact with them. After my brother was taken, my mother smothered me and fell into a depression. She threw herself from a watchtower when I was thirteen. By the time I was sixteen, my dad was drunk more often than not and I looked too much like my mother for him to handle. He left one day while I was at school and I haven't seen him since. I tried to join the Resistance more than once, but the Order typically blocks outgoing messages on Talus. With the destruction of Starkiller, there was a window. I took it. I'm here to destroy them the same way they destroyed my family," she said staring the man down.

With that, she stood from the table and brushed her dark curls from her face. "You all have a good evening," she said as neutrally as possible. She kept her eyes on the exit, ignoring the stares.

At the table just behind the rookies, Poe Dameron watched her leave, his interest peaked.

* * *

Selene's first two weeks were filled with ignoring whispers and trying to show leadership that she knew what she was doing and was loyal to the Resistance. Her meeting with the General, Commander Dameron, and a few others went well enough, but she knew they had an eye on her. There was doubt in some people's eyes when they found out where she was from and she did her best to prove them wrong. Oliver had been civil but still kept his distance. It's not like he was often in the lab or radar room to interact with her anyway.

Today was a warm but calm day. Just two days before, the base had been in an uproar after the former stormtrooper who had helped to bring down Starkiller woke up from his coma. She hadn't seen this "Finn" yet, but she heard everyone excitedly talking about him and recapping his story. She still couldn't believe he had defected. That alone was a brave feat. She often wondered how her brother fared as a trooper. Was he still alive?

She was currently on her lunch break sitting at the far end of the hangar away from the mechanics and anyone else who had something to say. It was far more peaceful than being in the cantina trying to make people like her. She had given up on that after the first day. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall behind her. It was nice to have a quiet moment. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, to keep the thick curls off of her already damp neck.

Without thinking, she began humming a lullaby that her mother used to sing to them at night as children. Her mother had a voice that was soft. When she sang it was almost ethereal. When she was sad it was enough to almost break your heart. The lyrics of loss and emptiness that floated around the house in the woman's last days used to haunt Selene's dreams. As she neared the end of the tune, she heard yelling.

"Finn, slow down! The doctors said not to do too much. This was supposed to be a calm walk!"

Her eyes shot open to find Commander Dameron quickly following a brown-skinned young man who still wore the clothes of a medical patient. When she focused on his face, she did a double take. She couldn't decide between wanting to shrink back or grab the young man when they stopped in front of her.

"That song -" he stopped to take a breath. "That song you were singing..." he trailed off.

Selene stared at him for a moment. Her eyes jumped to Dameron who shrugged and looked as confused as she did. She looked back at the young man.

"My mother used to sing it to me before bed," she said.

He almost flinched. "Your mom?" he repeated to himself. She nodded silently. She stood up from her spot and gathered her food.

"I should probably get back to work," she said.

When she tried to step around them, Dameron stopped her. "Wiles, you had a look on your face when you saw him...and not because he looked like a loon running at you," he said.

The other man looked abashed at the commander's words.

She stared at Dameron for a moment. Why did he care so much? She was surprised he had even remembered her name. _That's what happens when people think you could be a traitor!_

Instead of responding, she reached into the back pocket of her baggy dark green cargo pants. The small pouch she pulled out held a few pieces of currency and a picture. She pulled it out and stared at it before taking a deep breath and handing it to the pilot.

"That's my parents when they were young, back before they had children," she said almost in a whisper.

Poe stared at the photo for a long moment, his mind reeling. He looked up at Selene before handing the young man the photo. Selene was sure the entire hangar could hear her heart beating.

The young man stared at it for a moment before tears welled in his eyes. "I- I look just like him," he whispered.

Selene felt warmth encase her. Not in a way that felt oppressive on top of D'Qar's heat, but in a way that brought her comfort. Tears began to roll down her face.

"You do," she agreed, her voice wobbling. She rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. He was hesitant at first, before returning her hug fiercely. After a moment, they pulled back.

He looked down at her. "Why weren't you taken?" In his eyes, she could see his pain, his question, _Did they give me up?_

"Your group was the first gathering in our village. I was too old. They wanted children aged 3 to 5. I was nine. Mom and dad - they loved you dearly. It took several troopers to hold dad down when they came. Our uncle was killed in the scuffle." she said.

"Are they still alive?" he asked next.

"Mom died when I was thirteen," she said skipping the details of how she died. "I haven't seen dad since I was sixteen. He - he wasn't the same after her death. They weren't the same after you," she said.

Poe stood by them in a gesture of comfort but not to the point of interrupting their emotional moment as tears continued to flow from their eyes.

"And my name...what was my name?" Finn asked.

His name. He had been given two that he could remember. The first recognizing him as another cog in the machine. A faceless weapon. The second, a friend. The start of a new chapter. His birth name was something he had thought about often. Who was he before the First Order took that all away with their conditioning. Who could he have been if not for their interference?

"Dasan Wiles. It was our great-grandfather's name as well," she said with a smile.

Finn mouthed the name and let it marinate. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest and fog cleared from his mind.

"Finn sounds good too," Selene said after a moment.

He smiled at her. He had so many questions to ask.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I tried to find a real but lesser mentioned planet. I thought Talus was my best bet at least from the canon of the films. The literary side of _Star Wars_ probably has something to say about that though. Leave a review!

-K


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